The Skagit River System Cooperative (SRSC) celebrated the success of two major estuary restoration projects this week. Returning tidal flow to former estuaries is an important step toward restoring salmon habitat. Puget Sound...
Read MoreWDFW released the following press release about the Wiley Slough restoration project, in partnership with the Skagit River System Cooperative, the natural resources management arm of the Swinomish and Sauk-Suiattle tribes:...
Read MoreCrews have begun the next phase of construction on the Wiley Slough restoration project, which will return tidal flow to a former estuary in the Skagit River delta. The Skagit River System Cooperative (SRSC) — the natural...
Read MoreAt the expense of the salmon recovery effort, recreational interests have delayed plans to restore crucial chinook habitat in Wiley Slough, in the South Fork of the Skagit River delta. Puget Sound chinook salmon are listed as “threatened” under the federal Endangered Species Act.
Restoration work was set to begin last summer to return tidal flow to a 157-acre parcel of land around Wiley Slough. Project partners, including the Skagit River System Cooperative and state Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW), identified the area as a priority for estuarine restoration in accordance with 2003 state legislation to restore public lands for salmon recovery before looking to private land.
The parcel, also known as the Headquarters Unit of the Skagit Wildlife Area, was acquired by the state in 1962 through a land swap with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The estuary was converted for recreational use – and the salmon habitat destroyed – through dikes, drainage ditches, culverts and tide gates.
Read MorePlans to restore Wiley Slough have been stymied by hunters’ concerns about losing a popular recreation site. The Skagit Valley Herald (full story is available online): CONWAY — Pressure from hunters has put the brakes on a...
Read MoreThe Skagit Valley Herald (subscription required) had a story yesterday about plans to restore tidal flooding to Wiley Slough. The project is a partnership between Skagit River System Cooperative and the state Department of Fish...
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